Within the framework of the Ural International Exhibition of Industry and Innovations INNOPROM 2012, the Application Committee of EXPO 2020 presented the Ekaterinburg EXPO 2020 Application to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Arkady Chernetsky, Head of the Supervisory Board of the Application Committee presented the Ekaterinburg EXPO 2020 Application to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, briefly informing him about the work and strategic plans regarding the project’s promotion. The presentation was attended by Sverdlovsk Region’s Governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev and members of the Russian delegation. It was held at the demonstration pavilion. “We consider the World Exhibition to be an intellectual parallel to major sporting events that Russia will host: the Universiade, the Winter Olympics, the FIFA World Cup. EXPO is a global competition between ideas, innovations, technical achievements. That is everything that makes the world a better place to live in and that Russia strives to make the main source of its development. This is the underlying thought behind our application, - said Arkady Chernetsky. - During the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Secretary General of the International Exhibitions Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)) Vincente Loscertales, which was a great encouragement to us.

The President confirmed Russia’s interest in hosting EXPO 2020 in Ekaterinburg. Today, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to our stand confirms once again that we have serious intentions and singles out EXPO as a national priority project,” stated Arkady Chernetsky.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev expressed his support for Ekaterinburg as a venue for the World Universal Exhibition EXPO 2020 and voted at www.expo2020.ru in support of the application, emphasizing the importance of this event to the city and the whole country.

Each year, INNOPROM held in Ekaterinburg receives over 50,000 visitors from 30 countries and representatives of federal and regional authorities, international business experts, and scientists. The topic of the exhibition for this year “Technologies for People: Planning the Future, Building the Future” is closely connected with the theme of Russia’s EXPO 2020 Application “The Global Mind: The Future of Globalization and Its Influence on Our World.”

On the second day of the exhibition, the intellectual forces of this country will gather for discussing the theme of the Ekaterinburg Expo 2020. Among them are Russian scientist Sergey Kapitsa, Soviet astronaut Georgy Grechko, protodeacon of the Russian Orthodox Church Andrey Kuraev, journalist Leonid Parfenov.

Arkady Dvorkovich, head of the Organizing Committee of EXPO 2020, and Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation noted, “The World Universal Exhibition EXPO is one of the largest and respected international events, because it offers and presupposes a global dialog on important topics. INNOPROM’s program dedicated to innovations is very similar in its spirit to EXPO and to our idea of gathering global minds in Ekaterinburg in 2020 that would exchange views on development and globalization of modern world and finding solutions to key issues.”

According to the organizers’ estimates, over 30 million people will be able to visit the pavilions of EXPO 2020. The city will develop 118,000 sq m of housing, there will be new hotels, transport junctions, new roads, and the airport will have larger capacity. The exhibition area will become the architectural symbol of EXPO 2020. After the Expo, it will serve as a cultural, entertainment and educational center of the Urals’ capital.

“Ekaterinburg’s application for hosting the EXPO World Exhibition in 2020 is worth discussing as an item on INNOPROM’s agenda of industry and innovations,” stated Sverdlovsk Region’s Governor Yevgeny Kuyvashev. “EXPO 2020 will bring numerous prospects for the city and this region, allow possibilities for modernization and development, and generate long-term benefits.”Ekaterinburg competes with the cities Ayutthaya (Thailand), Dubai (UAE), Izmir (Turkey) and Sao Paulo (Brazil) for the right to host the International Exhibition EXPO 2020.

Decision on the venue for the International Exhibition will be made by a vote at the BIE General Assembly at the end of 2013.